Coventry Bees are on a possible collision course with Sky Sports over the scheduling of the Elite League title play-offs.

Bees, who travel to Eastbourne tonight for their final regular fixture, meet Poole at Brandon on Wednesday night in a quarter-final play-off.

If they win, they then face the prospect of travelling to Wolverhampton, Peterborough or Oxford for a sudden-death semi-final - the date of which has been put in the calendar for Wednesday September 18.

But all three of Coventry's American riders - Billy Hamill, Billy Janniro and Ryan Fisher - are due back in the States that week for the final AMA National Championship round at Auburn on Friday September 20.

The original dates for the playoff quarter-finals and semi-final were September 4 and 11, but they were put back a week when the cut-off point for the normal league programme was extended by seven days.

Unless their Stateside trio can reorganise their trips home - which seems highly unlikely - then Bees would be without half their normal team, with Stuart Robson's season also over because of his punctured lung.

Bees bosses Martin Ochiltree and Colin Pratt say they will address the issue if and when Bees qualify for the semi-final, but some lively debate can be expected if Bees beat Poole at Brandon on Wednesday.

Having to fulfil a meeting as important as a play-off semi-final on a rearranged date with four riders missing would be a total nonsense.

Eastbourne were confirmed as finishing at the top of the table -and go straight to the play-off Grand Final - after Wolver-hampton lost 55-35 at Peter-borough last night.

Wolves will now host the other quarter-final next Wednesday against either Peterborough or

Oxford. The Cheetahs need to win at Peterborough on Monday night to become the final play-off qualifier.

Bees are still without the injured Hamill, Andreas Jonsson and Robson tonight for a fixture that is now meaningless, and boss Colin Pratt again uses King's Lynn's Nicki Pedersen and Reading's Andrew Appleton as guests.

Both came in and played key roles in Wednesday's 47-43 win at Poole, a victory that earned Bees home advantage against the Pirates this coming Wednesday.